Audrey Penn

Audrey Penn, from Olney, Maryland, is a woman of varied dynamic talents and considerable accomplishment. Until the mid-1970's, Penn was a ballet dancer and actress performing with such groups as the New York City Ballet, the National Ballet, and the Luigi Jazz Ensemble. She has also served as the dance coach to the US Figure Skating Team in preparation for the Pan American Games (1973), and was the US Gymnastic Team's dance coach in both 1974 and 1975. After becoming seriously ill with rheumatoid arthritis in 1975, Audrey channeled her artistic talents increasingly toward writing stories and books for children; she now has four books and more than 50 stories to her credit. Her other books include Happy Apple Told Me (1975), winner of the Midstate Library Association Award and a Caldecott Medal nominee in 1975; Blue Out of Season (1984), winner of Very Special Arts Recognition Award; and The Kissing Hand (1994). Her biography appeared in the book by George Plimpton, written on behalf of Mrs. Jean Kennedy Smith, about artists in the Very Special Arts program.